2017 Wisconsin Southdown Stars Sale and Starter Ewe Program

The Wisconsin Southdown Stars Sale and Symposium will be held on April 22nd, 2017 at the UW Agriculture Research Center Public Events building, Arlington, WI. Details can be found at the Wisconsin Southdown Association’s website (www.wisconsinsouthdowns.com). Pictures of sale sheep will be posted through the Association’s website in an online catalog. Bidders who cannot attend the sale in person can bid online or by phone.

For those new to sheep or the breed, several short sessions will start the day and will teach basic information necessary to having a successful start with Southdowns; shearing/trimming, lamb feeding and health. There will be sheep onsite the day of the sale available to view prior to the sale starting promptly at Noon.

The 2017 “Starter Ewe Lambs” will be awarded to several Wisconsin youth at the event. Starter ewe lamb applications are due on March 1st and can be found at the website listed above. The Starter Ewe Lamb program is in its 8th year and has been an extremely successful way for youth who currently don’t have Southdowns to get a start in the breed. The youth are provided with a high quality ewe lamb including mentorship from the donating breeder. Southdowns have become one of the most popular breeds in Wisconsin for youth sheep projects due to the strong network of breeders and the Southdown’s moderate size, good temperament and that the breed are “slick sheared” by the youth before showing, minimizing the cost and time of fitting.

Sheep purchased at this sale in 2017 that are ASBA Futurity nominated will be eligible for a $1,000 cash jackpot sponsored by the WI Southdown Association which will be awarded at the All American Junior Show, which will be held in Madison, WI this year. The highest placing Yearling, Fall and Ewe Lamb at the 2017 All American Junior Show purchased in the 2017 sale will be eligible to compete for the jackpot money. Details about the jackpot and the All American Junior Show can be found on the Association’s website.

If you are unable to visit the website or need more details on the event or Starter Ewe Program, please contact WSA President, Dan Smerchek at dsmerchek@northernlakesvet.com.